This invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically cutting large diameter long rolls of a soft, flexible, spongy resilient material, for example, such as "microfoam" padding and packaging material into shorter sub-rolls thereof.
Many materials used in packaging and other applications are manufactured in wide sheets or webs and are sold in rolls having a large diameter and a width corresponding to the width of the web produced in the manufacturing process. These rather large rolls of material are the most economical way of purchasing the material, which may not be available in shorter widths, or must be custom ordered from the manufacturer substantially increasing the cost of the materials. The webs which are sold in rolls may be either single-layered or multi-layered, i.e. multi-ply, sheets which are formed into a single thickness and rolled. The width of the webs are so wide, for example, such as six or eight feet wide, that the material must be cut into narrower widths for most applications.
The cutting of such rolls presents a difficult problem with respect to the sheer size of the rolls, for example, five feet in diameter and six or eight feet long, as well as the characteristics of the material which is soft, pliable, flexible, spongy, resilient and particularly difficult to cut because of such properties.
One way of providing a cut in such a roll is to use a large band saw. In order to successfully use a band saw, the exposed cutting length of the blade of the band saw would be required to be as long as the diameter of the roll to be cut. Using a band saw with five feet of exposed and unsupported moving blade is quite dangerous and difficult. Moreover, the action provided by the band saw with such a long length of exposed blade produces a wavey, scalloped cut which leaves ragged and wavey edges on the ends of the roll which are cut and tends to spall off flakes or balls of loosened material on the cut ends of the roll. The wavey edges having loose material thereon waste the material, provide an unsightly appearance, and in some cases make the material as cut unsuitable for the application for which it was intended. A large exposed band saw blade provides a tremendous safety hazard and requires great care in the handling of the material and in performing the cutting function.
Other methods such as hand cutting are time consuming, labor intensive, produce unequal cuts, jagged edges and are therefore undesirable as well as uneconomical. Ordering the rolls from the manufacturer in shorter widths is prohibitably expensive, particularly when different widths for different applications are required.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and novel method and apparatus for economically cutting large rolls of soft, flexible, spongy resilient material, such as microfoam material into narrower, i.e. shorter length, rolls having the same outer diameter as the initial large rolls.
Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus for automatically dividing large rolls of soft, spongy, layered materials into narrower rolls with relatively neat, square-cut ends on the cut roll.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for automatically dividing large rolls of wide web material difficult to cut into narrower rolls and which is safe, convenient and simple in operation.